FILE: The installation of Eric F. Spina, as the 19th president of the University of Dayton, was held at UD Arena in 2017. Spina, who became UD’s president July 1, 2016, succeeded Daniel J. Curran. LISA POWELL / STAFF

UD president’s contract renewed for 5 years

The University of Dayton has approved a new five-year contract for president Eric Spina.

The contract will extend Spina’s presidency at UD through June 2024. Spina started at UD in July 2016 meaning by the time his new contract expired he will have been at the university for eight years, according to the school.

The decision to approve a new contract for Spina was made because of his work in “moving the university forward,” the school said in a prepared statement.

“The new contract reflects the confidence the board has in Eric for the job that he has done,” said board chairman David Yeager. “As the current contract runs through next June, he could be in very high demand by other institutions.”

In approving a new contract, UD’s board cited a 12 percent increase in faculty hiring since 2015, initiatives to increase diversity and inclusion, UD’s involvement in the Dayton Arcade and a partnership with Premier Health to purchase and redevelop the former Montgomery County Fairgrounds, among other accomplishments.

Spina is UD’s second lay leader since the school was founded in 1850. He came to UD in 2016 from Syracuse University in New York where he worked for 28 years and served in nine positions including as vice chancellor and provost, according to UD.

“The foundation of this university is an incredible campus community focused on student learning, and I am grateful each day to work with such an excellent team,” Spina said. “I am honored by the trustees’ confidence, as well as excited about UD’s accelerating growth and momentum.”

The university did not release the details of the contract, including Spina’s salary. Spina’s total compensation in 2016 was $449,402, according to the university’s most recent form 990 available.